MOSCOW -- The World Cup is returning to the United States, and this time, Mexico and Canada are along for the wild ride. A North American joint bid won the rights Wednesday to host the 2026 edition of the celebrated soccer tournament, defeating Morocco and bouncing back from an unfathomable U.S. defeat to Qatar in voting for the 2022 event eight years ago. The member associations in FIFA, the sport's governing body, favored the North American effort, known as the United Bid, in a landslide vote, 134-65.

Thus, 32 years after setting World Cup attendance records in hosting the 1994 competition, the United States will join forces with its neighbors to organize a championship that, in 2026, will expand to 48 teams from 32. Mexico hosted the World Cup in 1970 and '86. Canada is involved for the first time. It will mark the first time three countries have shared the planet's most popular sporting event.

In an agreement announced when the bid launched last year, the United States will stage 60 of the 80 matches, including all from the quarterfinals on, while Mexico and Canada will get 10 apiece. Twenty-three cities, including Washington and Baltimore, are in the running to become the 16 match venues. In all likelihood, 11 of the 17 proposed U.S. sites will make the cut. A decision is not expected for another two years.

Wednesday's vote, conducted during the FIFA Congress at Moscow's expo center, provided a much-needed victory for American soccer, which is in the process of rebuilding the men's program in the wake of last fall's failure to qualify for this summer's World Cup in Russia. With the Americans absent for the first time since 1986, the tournament will begin Thursday in Moscow with Russia facing Saudi Arabia.

U.S., Mexico and Canada win right to jointly host 2026 World Cup, edging Morocco and providing needed boost to American soccer

by Washington Post Staff June 13 at 6:54 AM

The United States will join forces with its neighbors to organize the wildly popular tournament, returning the competition to North America for the first time since 1994.

In balloting held in Moscow on the eve of this year's World Cup, the national federations of FIFA, the sport's governing body, voted 134-65 in favor of what is known as the United Bid. The event will expand to 48 teams from 32 in 2026, and organizers say it will generate $5.8 billion across the three host countries.

U.S. soccer officials see the victory as a major opportunity to further grow a sport that has blossomed in its borders since 1994 but whose national team failed to qualify for this year's event for the first time since 1986.

9. As a viewer sport, it's not that popular

but as a participant sport down on the general population level, it's pretty popular - i.e., see the (somewhat tired) term "Soccer Mom" - and most significantly since the 1990s. Many schools and camps and even daycares start the kids as toddlers learning how to kick the ball into a net, to the point where soccer has been supplanting little league (although probably not basketball - at least in the urban areas).

11. Is it as popular in Canada as it is in Mexico?

13. Everywhere in the world save the U.S. until recently

The U.S. values the NFL, despite it's short season, and then perhaps baseball.

I would hazard that Canada also promotes ice hockey more than others, but soccer is really a year-round (if you count arenas)international sport and "easy" to teach to young children. However I have now been hearing more about the medical issues (concussions) that are being researched for soccer players due to all the head-butting of balls.

8. Or Duarte's Philippines

12. Trump will boast that he won it. He had threatened to withdraw aid from countries

that voted for Morocco. This was the one weak point in the United bid - the political intrusion and threats by Trump. see eg

Will Donald Trump cost North America the 2026 World Cup?

And that was before this week and Trump’s thinly veiled quid pro quo appeals to foreign nations to support the bid, which appear to run afoul of Fifa guidelines barring the use of political influence during the bidding process.

Trump’s Twitter threat last week warning nations mulling a vote against the North American bid prompted the gentlest of admonishment from the worldwide governing body. And then came Monday’s joint White House press conference with Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari, where Trump doubled down.

“I hope all African countries and countries throughout the world, that we also will be supporting you and that they will likewise support us in our bid, along with Canada and Mexico, for the 2026 World Cup,” he said. “We will be watching very closely, and any help they can give us in that bid we would appreciate.”

Trump appeared to tie the issue to trade, saying the United States hopes “to be the economic partner of choice for nations across the continent and all around the world”.

“You see what’s happening with respect to trade and the United States. We are being respected again,” he added. The mafia undertones were unmistakable: We’ve got a nice deal here. It would be a shame if something were to happen to it.